EU Rolls Back 2035 Gas Ban; Targets 90% Emissions Reduction Instead
The EU caves and readjusts emissions targets after mounting pressure from German and Italian automakers.
The European Commission has put forward a plan to ease its 100-percent emissions reduction target, originally set to come into effect in 2035. According to Reuters, the new proposal targets a 90-percent reduction compared to 2021 levels, although it still requires confirmation from EU member state governments as well as the European Parliament.
This isn't a simple 10-percent reduction, however. Automakers will also need to offset emissions by increasing their use of low-carbon steel, or the use of biofuels and synthetic fuels. Reuters reports automakers will also get a 36-month opening starting in 2030 to trim CO2 emissions by 55-percent for passenger vehicles; commercial vans will need to see a 40-percent reduction.
The move will allow for the continued sale of gas models, including hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and range-extender electric vehicles. Ahead of the official news, European People's Party (EPP) head Manfred Weber told German newspaper Bild that not only would the 90-percent figure be presented, but that "There will also be no 100-percent target from 2040 onwards."
Responses have, unsurprisingly, been mixed.
"Opening up the market to vehicles with combustion engines while compensating for emissions is pragmatic and in line with market conditions," said Volkswagen in a prepared response to Reuters. Meanwhile, Polestar CEO Michael Lohscheller took a different tack: "Moving from a clear 100% zero-emissions target to 90% may seem small, but if we backtrack now, we won't just hurt the climate. We'll hurt Europe's ability to compete."
OUR TAKE: Automakers point to the cooling market demand for EVs, but only Tesla took infrastructure build-out seriously, limiting appeal. In North America, EVs have become a political talking point. Both sides of the Atlantic have taken protectionist measures against the wave of Chinese EVs that are—for better or worse—heavily subsidized by the Chinese government.
It's true, European and American EVs would struggle to compete on price, but closing off the markets and diverting development back into combustion engines will only extend China's electric car lead. Short-term, consumers should ideally see new-car prices staying level for longer, but as the Chinese market becomes less and less tenable for European and American brands, they'll have to scavenge profits elsewhere.
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Kyle began his automotive obsession before he even started school, courtesy of a remote control Porsche and various LEGO sets. He later studied advertising and graphic design at Humber College, which led him to writing about cars (both real and digital). He is now a proud member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC), where he was the Journalist of the Year runner-up for 2021.
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EVs in Florida are just not a good idea. What happens after a Hurricane when we have no power for a week or two? And the heavy use of the a/c eats away at the range.
Good, now that that's settled, open the door to cheap, Chinese city cars that we retired folks could afford for short local grocery trips and errands. America and Europe are at the point where 90% of the public can no longer realistically afford (or qualify for loans) to buy domestically produced ICE vehicles. So, expect that the big brands will either become "boutique" manufacturers to the 1%, or go out of business. Anyway you look at it, domestic vehicle production is western nations is going to get smaller or nonexistent. Sorry boys, your greed did it to yourselves.